Letter file



April 25, 1933. R MEVES 1,905,418

LETTER FILE Filed Sept. 27, 1930 Inventor,

Patented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES ROBERT HERMANN MEVES, or BERLIN FRIEDENAU, ER-MANY PATENT OFFICE LETTER ruin Application filed September 27, 1930, Serial No. 484,816, and in Germany September 28, 1929.

This invention relates to a letter file of the kind comprising filing pins secured by means of a supporting base to a cover which is also provided with a latch plate adapted to receive and interlock with the free ends of the pins, and the invention consists in the provision of a pair of transfer arches mounted on a supporting base which is capable of being de-' tachably secured to the supporting base of the filing pins with the arches in position to form continuations of the pins.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing represents an end view of a letter file according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof showing the two supporting bases separated from each other,

Fig. 3 is an end view of a modified construction,

Fig. 4 is a top view of the latter showing the two supporting bases separated from each other,

Fig. 5 is an end view of a further modification of the file,

Fig. 6 is a top view of the latter modification,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the file without the transfer arches,

Fig. 8 is a plan View of a latch used in the device, and

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of said latch.

The file comprises a pair of filing pins 3 and 3 secured by means of a supporting base l to a file cover 27. The latter also carries, as shown in Fig. 7 a latch plate 24 having apertures 21 and 21 for the reception of the free ends of the filing pins. Latches 22, controlled by a spring 25 and fitted with an operating handle 26, are adapted to snap into notches 23 in the pins for locking the latter to the plate 24. This is the normal position of the filing pins.

To facilitate the insertion of letters in their proper positions in the file, a pair of transfer arches l is provided, the supporting base 2 of which is adapted to be detachably secured to the base 2 with the arches in position to form continuations of the pins 3, 3 as best shown in Fig. 5. The transfer arches arehinged to the base 2 and controlled by an operating handle 31.

For the convenient connection of the two supporting bases,'ithe latter may be construct ed in various manners. In the construction according to-Figs. 1 and 2 the base 1 has the form of a plate which is doubled upon itself to form lips between which a tongue29on the base 2 can be inserted. The tongue 29 is formed with corrugations 8, 8 adapted to inter-engage with correspondingly corrugated lip. portions 5, 5 on thebase 1. The two supporting bases are slid into connection with each other in the longitudinal direction of the corrugations. The tongue 29 has also a wart 9 which, on the two parts being slid into connection with each other, snaps into engagement with an aperture 7 made in a resilient lug 6 on the supporting base land thus retains the elements in their proper relative positions.

In the constructions shown in Figs. 3 to 6, the supporting base for the filing pinsis composed of two plates land l the former of which carries the pins while the latter is secured to the cover 27. The two plates are connected together by means of hinges 28 which allow the filing pins to be turned, in the absence of the transfer arches, from a hori-- zontal into a vertical position, while the cov er 27 remains flat on its support.

For connecting the two supporting bases together, the base 2 in Figsp3 and t is formed with a tongue 10 which is inserted between the two plates 1 and 1 and between lateral positioning lugs 14 and 14. which are stamped out from the plate 1. As the parts are pushed together, resilient corrugated blades 11 and 11 on the tongue 10, snap into engagement with ridges 13 and 13 on the plate 1 for retaining the elements in connected position.

In the arrangement according to Figs. 5 and 6, the supporting base 2 is fitted with two pivoted catches 18 and 18 which are controlled by a spring 17 and which are pro vided with nose pieces 30 which pass through and snap into engagement with looped brackets 19 and 19 on the plate 1. The catches have the form of double-armed levers the outer ends 20 of which are bent up for manual operation. The relative positioning of the two supporting bases is efiected by means of a tongue 15 on the base 2 which fits in l a corresponding recess 16 in the plate 1. i I claim:

1. In a letter file of the character. described, the combination with a file cover of a pair of filing pins, a supporting base for said pins secured to the cover, a latch plate secured to the eoverforthe reception of the free ends of the filing pins, a pair of trans,- fer arches, a supporting base for said arches, and means for detachably securing saidlatter supporting base to that of the filing pins with the transfer arches in position to form continuations of said pins.

2. A structure as claimed in claim lwhere- V in the means for securing the two support- 20' ing. bases to each other comprises a tongue on one base and lips on the other base adapted'to receive said tongue between them, said lips andtongue being formed with corruga-' A tions adapted to inter-engagefor maintainingthe connection.

3'. A structure asclaimed in claim 1 where-' in the-means for securing the two supporting bases together comprises a tongue on one base adapted to engage in a recess in the other base, a pair of pivoted, spring-controlled catches on one base, and a pair of brackets on the other-base adapted to interengage with said catches.

42 A structure as claimed in claim lwhereinthe supporting base for the filing pins= comprises two hingedly connected plates one of whichis connected to thecover while the othercarries the pins.

as -BOBERTHERMANN 45 

